Bio
Michael Catalanotto is a lifelong Smithtown resident, dedicated community leader, and seasoned legal professional. Michael served six years on the Smithtown School Board of Education and has worked tirelessly to ensure the success and safety of students and families throughout the district. In addition to his work in education, Michael is an attorney with a long-standing practice in Nesconset. He brings nearly twenty years of experience in family, matrimonial and real estate law. Holding a Juris Doctorate from Touro College of Law, and a Master’s of Business Administration and Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from Salisbury University, Michael was also trained in mediation from Pepperdine University.
Experience
Local attorney who served on the Smithtown School Board from 2019 until 2025. School board president from 2024-2025.
Campaign Phone
631-656-0900
First, I want to see smart growth while preserving the character of our town. Smithtown deserves thoughtful development that revitalizes our downtowns, supports small businesses, and completes long-overdue infrastructure like sewers, without overwhelming our roads, schools, or neighborhoods. Growth must serve residents first, not developers.
Second, too many important decisions happen when residents cannot participate. I will push for evening meetings so working families have a voice, and I will advocate for a more open and accountable decision-making process.
Third, there must be term limits for the supervisor and town council. No elected office should become a lifetime appointment. Term limits will bring in new voices, fresh ideas, and help restore trust in our local government.
Over the course of a four-year term, my goal is to make Smithtown stronger, more transparent, and more responsive to residents, while preserving the hometown character that makes our community unique.
With the Brookhaven landfill scheduled to close, Smithtown faces rising disposal costs, and passing that burden on to taxpayers is not smart or sustainable. Education and incentives are necessary in order to encourage more recycling and composting and to fully inform our residents of the impending crisis. The Town has a responsibility to explain these challenges openly, plan ahead, and seek creative solutions, including regional cooperation and pursuing state and federal funding. By being transparent and proactive, we can reduce the financial impact while protecting our environment and preserving the quality of life residents expect.
Nitrogen runoff and pollution do not only hurt our environment, they hurt families, local businesses and the quality of life that makes Smithtown special . First, we need to invest significantly in stormwater management to reduce runoff from our roads and properties and create a robust resident education program to motivate change in each household. If the town leads with clear, consistent, information, incentives and transparency, our residents will step-up. We also need to stop development of Gyrodyne, a project that, if completed, will fundamentally change the chemistry of Stony Brook Harbor forever. We need to work together to protect our beaches so that future generations can enjoy the one of the best parts of Smithtown.
Patchogue, Bay Shore, and Huntington are often held up as models of downtown revitalization, but I do not believe that’s the right path for Smithtown. Although incredibly fun to visit, those communities have focused on large-scale nightlife and dense development, which has brought traffic and parking challenges that I do not want to see repeated here.
Instead, I believe we should look toward smaller communities like Northport, Cold Spring Harbor, and Greenport which have preserved their charm while supporting local businesses, restaurants, and cultural attractions. The path to success in Smithtown involves focusing on filling vacant storefronts, supporting small businesses, enforcing town code, finishing sewer projects, and making our downtowns more pedestrian-friendly. Revitalization should enhance our hometown feel, not overwhelm it. My goal is to keep Smithtown a family-friendly community where residents are proud of their downtowns.
I do not support Accessory Dwelling Units. While I understand the intention, I believe they risk fundamentally changing the character of our neighborhoods, straining parking, adding density without proper planning, and increasing the burden on our schools and roads without a commensurate increase in property tax. Smithtown’s charm comes from its suburban, family-oriented neighborhoods, and I fear that Accessory Dwelling Units can chip away at that.
However, we absolutely need to address affordability in smarter ways. I would support carefully scaled mixed-use projects in our downtowns provided they are tied to sewers, traffic improvements, and designed to fit the character of each hamlet. I also believe the Town should explore incentives for first-time homebuyers. These approaches strengthen affordability and livability while protecting what makes Smithtown unique.
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Bio
Lifelong resident of St. James. Daughters: Dana Lynne Nowick and Kerry Lynne Nowick
Experience
23 years in the New York State Court Administrative System, 2013 to Present - Trustee, Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, 1996 - 2001 Receiver of Taxes of the Town of Smithtown, 2002 - 2012 Suffolk County Legislator representing the 13th Legislative District, 2013 to present Town of Smithtown Councilwoman
Campaign Phone
631-265-3007
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Bio
For Jesse Phillips, family comes first. Originally from Lindenhurst, he and his wife, a lifelong St. James resident, chose Smithtown as the best place to raise their three young children. Living next door to his in-laws, Jesse values the idea that it takes a village to support a family and understands that not everyone has that kind of help. When he is not serving as a New York City firefighter or advocating for veterans, he can be found at local parks with his kids, tending a backyard garden, or making time to connect with his wife after long days. Grounded in service, community, and compassion, Jesse is committed to creating a Smithtown where every family has the opportunity to thrive.
Experience
Jesse Phillips has dedicated his life to service. First as a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps veteran, and now as a New York City firefighter. In both combat and crisis, he learned the importance of leadership, accountability, and protecting others — qualities he’s ready to bring to town government. Jesse holds a degree in Political Science from Hofstra University, where he also volunteered for local elected officials, gaining firsthand insight into how responsive, transparent government can improve lives. Today, as a father raising three young children in Smithtown, he experiences the community through the eyes of a young family and understands the everyday challenges residents face. His lifelong record of service, combined with his education and commitment to fairness, make him well prepared to represent Smithtown with integrity on the Town Council.
My priorities are built on a simple idea: Smithtown’s government should work for the people who live here, not the politicians or the developers. I will fight reckless overdevelopment that strains our schools with rental units while giving tax breaks to developers, and instead push for smart growth that creates real homeownership opportunities for our younger generations. We need a controlled downtown revitalization that protects the unique charm of our hamlets and supports our local small businesses, not a wholesale giveaway. And to ensure our leadership reflects our community's needs, I will advocate for term limits, because the current board is out of touch with the struggles of young families. Finally, as a combat veteran, I will establish a true Veterans Services Office because our heroes deserve more than just ceremonial gestures - they deserve actionable support. It’s time for a government that listens, acts, and puts Smithtown families first.
The two year delay in closing the Brookhaven Landfill is our final warning, not a solution. When it closes, shipping waste out of state will cause costs to skyrocket for every taxpayer.
On the Town Council, I will use this time to fight for a simple, fair plan: protect families from bearing the full burden. I will push to hold our largest commercial waste generators accountable with audits and mandatory recycling programs to reduce the trash tonnage that drives up costs. I will vote against any plan that forces residents to subsidize big business waste.
We must act now. The easy path is to wait and raise your taxes. I will fight for the responsible path: be proactive, be tough, and be smart with your money.
Our beach closures are a symptom of a broader water quality issue. As one Town Board member, I'll work across the aisle on practical solutions. My focus will be on empowering, not punishing, residents.
I'll champion a "Smithtown Clean Waters" partnership to simplify access to state grants for septic upgrades and share free, expert lawn care tips that protect both our lawns and our water. I know this is possible; my family installed a modern system when we built our home.
We must also ensure fairness. I will advocate that new commercial developments are required to use green infrastructure to manage their stormwater runoff. It's about shared responsibility. By working together, we can keep our beaches open and preserve our community's beauty for everyone.
That's the central question. We've seen the current board's approach: a 5-0 vote on a Kings Park plan that many fear will urbanize it, and small, out-of-character improvements in Smithtown proper. This highlights the problem: a top-down strategy that ignores what makes each hamlet unique, all while the essential sewer projects face delays and infrastructure problems.
I look to a place like Sayville not to copy it, but to learn its core principle: revitalization must be community-led and enhance existing character, not replace it.
My approach would be to:
Fix the Foundation First: My first priority is to demand accountability and transparency on the stalled sewer projects. Without this infrastructure, true, safe revitalization is impossible.
Establish Hamlets First: Then, we work with each community to create their own binding aesthetic and zoning standards. No more cookie-cutter solutions imposed from the top down.
The goal isn't to urbanize our hamlets; it's to fix the basics and then empower them to thrive on their own terms.
I support smart, appropriate development that addresses our community's actual needs, not a developer's profit margin. The key is the type, scale, and location.
Look at the proposed Gyrodyne project in St. James as a cautionary tale. This isn't a small-scale infill project; it's a massive 75-acre plan for hundreds of units and commercial space that would permanently industrialize a scenic corridor on Route 25A, creating a traffic nightmare and straining our fragile septic systems.
This is what I oppose: rezoning that gobbles up open space and moves the goalposts just to benefit developers, setting a dangerous precedent for the entire town.
This is why I strongly favor Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as a more pragmatic solution. ADUs are a win-win: they allow our seniors to age in place and create affordable rental options for young adults, all without changing our neighborhood's character or overwhelming our infrastructure. I will champion a clear ADU policy that includes safety standards and requires the owner to live on-site.
We must prioritize solutions that put our residents first, not unchecked development.
